Chapter 56: The Dragon Slaying Campaign (9)

SLASH!

The sword tore across Kyle in a long diagonal cut—from shoulder down toward his side—so fast he didn’t even understand what had happened until the pain arrived.

It hit like fire.

Kyle’s hands went numb. The legendary sword slipped from his grip and clattered onto the stone with a bright, ringing sound that echoed through the chamber.

His knees buckled.

He fell backward and crashed onto the ground, breath leaving his lungs in one harsh gasp.

For a second, his mind didn’t focus on the wound. It focused on the blue screen that had flashed in front of his eyes.

[Skill Activation Failed]

Kyle stared at the ceiling opening above, sunlight cutting through dust like a quiet spotlight.

His vision shook from disbelief.

`It... failed?`

His chest burned. Warmth spread under his coat. His body screamed at him to breathe, to move, to do something—

But his mind was stuck on one single fact—that his skill had failed.

Not resisted, not overpowered... but failed.

That had never happened.

Not even when he tried to control things stronger than him. Not even when his Intelligence was lower. Not even when his command was too bold.

The skill had always attempted to take hold—and even when it failed, the system had never announced it like this.

But this time, the system declared it failed.

Kyle’s jaw trembled as he forced himself to lift his head.

Arthur stood only a few steps away, his sword still held low from the follow-through. His breathing was heavy, but not from exhaustion.

From excitement.

His gaze slid down. Not to Kyle, but to the sword on the ground.

Arthur’s expression changed in an instant—anger burning into something almost reverent.

His own weapon slipped from his fingers and hit the stone without care.

Then he stepped forward, slowly, as if he were afraid the moment would vanish if he moved too fast.

He reached out his hand and closed it around the sword’s hilt.

The silver blade responded immediately.

A faint gold shimmer crawled along its edge, and the light in the chamber seemed to bend around it.

Arthur’s mouth parted.

"...The legendary sword," he whispered.

Kaia’s eyes widened, bow still half-raised.

Celestia took one step forward, her veil shifting with the movement. "Arthur..."

Arthur didn’t respond.

He lifted the sword slightly, as if testing its weight, and the air itself seemed to tighten around the blade.

Kyle’s blood went cold as he watched Arthur raise the mighty sword.

He tried to push himself up.

His body answered with a violent jolt of pain. His breath caught, and his hand slid to a wet spot—the wound.

He lifted his hand and saw blood on it, a lot of blood.

He swallowed hard, trying to calm his breathing. His eyes darted around the room as he assessed his situation.

`Three enemies... a deep wound... my skill suddenly isn’t working... and now he has this sword.`

There was nothing left to consider.

Kyle breathed heavily as he focused his mind on a single thought. `Run!`

Arthur finally looked down at him.

That same fury still burned in Arthur’s eyes—only now it was tempered by satisfaction. He had finally gotten the sword he wanted.

Kyle raised his arm higher. And with all the strength he had left, he shouted.

"NIGHTMARE!"

The mark flared.

Golden sparks burst outward from Kyle’s hand like a small explosion—bright motes spinning in the air, gathering into a shape that formed too quickly.

Black feathers appeared first.

Then wings—four of them—unfolding in a jerky, unnatural rhythm as the creature’s body assembled itself midair.

Its tail spilled behind it like ink.

And then its head lifted. Three golden eyes opened at once.

Kaia stumbled half a step back without meaning to.

Celestia’s breath caught—her hands rising instinctively, a faint shimmer forming around her fingers.

Arthur froze for a moment as he looked at the creature in front of him, his hand trembling slightly.

Nightmare landed between Kyle and the hero’s party with a soft thud, wings half-spread.

Its presence filled the chamber.

Not with pressure like the dragon, but with something quieter, something that made the skin crawl.

A few small eyeballs—new ones—were visible at the roots of its wings, staring without blinking.

The hero’s party immediately stiffened when they noticed those strange, terrifying eyeballs.

Kaia raised her bow and Celestia raised her glowing hands, while Arthur immediately retreated a step to their side.

Kyle didn’t hesitate.

He lifted his head with difficulty, resisting the pain as he sent a thought. `Take me away. Now!`

Nightmare turned its head toward its master and understood immediately.

The creature stepped back—then moved fast.

It grabbed Kyle by his coat and shoulder strap with careful precision, talons not piercing—just hooking and lifting.

Kyle’s body screamed as his wound shifted.

Nightmare hauled him up in one brutal motion, then beat its four wings and caught him onto its back in a single fluid lift.

Kaia raised her bow fully. "Arthur, this is getting out of hand."

Arthur’s grip tightened around the legendary sword. "Stop him!"

Then, he charged. His new sword angled, ready to cut down both the terrifying creature and wounded man.

Nightmare reacted before Kyle could comprehend it.

One wing snapped outward with a violent beat, sending a burst of air and dust straight into Arthur’s face.

Arthur staggered half a step, eyes narrowing.

And in that half-second, Nightmare launched.

It surged upward, high toward the narrow opening in the distant ceiling, dragging Kyle with it on its back.

Kaia loosed an arrow.

The shot whistled past and struck the wall, missing them.

Celestia shouted something to Arthur that Kyle couldn’t hear.

But Arthur didn’t stop.

He sprinted to the wall and leapt from ledge to ledge with unnerving ease, climbing toward them in seconds.

Kyle noticed, but he was in no condition to respond. Luckily for him, Nightmare wasn’t an ordinary creature.

It turned its head toward him as it flew, then opened its long black beak and screamed loudly.

Its voice was so frightening that Arthur froze mid-jump. Even Kyle forgot his pain for a moment when he heard the scream echoing through the cave. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Nightmare took the chance and rushed upward, approaching the opening.

Finally, a draft of cooler air touched Kyle’s face as the sunlight blinded him a little when he and the nightmare finally emerged from the cave.

The mountains spread around them—black rock, steep drops, cold wind at last.

Nightmare beat its wings once and lifted them higher.

Kyle turned his head weakly and looked back. He saw them in the distance, torchlight flickering.

Kaia first now, bow in hand.

Arthur behind her, legendary sword casting that faint golden glow even in the dark.

Celestia’s veil fluttered, she looked stunned by everything that had just happened.

He swallowed hard, forcing focus.

He immediately opened his system and headed to the shop without thinking.

Then he went straight to the potions section, chose a specific potion, and bought it with the points he had earned through the campaign.

He didn’t need much time to search or even read the potion description. He had browsed the shop many times and memorized some useful items that he might need in unexpected situations.

This potion was one of them.

It couldn’t heal his wounds, but it was the most appropriate for his current situation—or at least the most appropriate compared to what Kyle could buy with his points.

This potion could stop the bleeding for a while.

Sparks gathered in his hand, forming the potion. Kyle opened it while resisting the pain, and drank it all.

After finishing it, Kyle threw the empty bottle away.

He felt the effect of the potion immediately—his bleeding wound began to narrow slightly, preventing the blood from flowing out.

But the problem was that this caused Kyle even more pain.

He rolled onto his back in mid-air, and his eyelids began to grow heavier.

The wind tore past him in cold, uneven bursts. Nightmare’s wings beat in a steady rhythm beneath his spine, carrying him farther and farther.

Kyle tried to keep his focus.

Tried to stay awake.

But the pain kept dragging him under, pulling at the edges of his thoughts like a tide that wouldn’t stop.

His breathing turned shallow. The world tilted. The sky above blurred into pale light and drifting gray.

Gradually, Kyle’s eyes closed.

He lost consciousness on Nightmare’s back, flying toward an unknown destination.

For a few seconds, everything was quiet inside him.

Then something shifted.

Something deeper—like a lock turning.

While he was unconscious, the darkness in his eyes began to drain away.

The black in his irises that had always been there thinned, faded, and vanished as if it had never belonged there.

In its place, crimson spread through his irises, rich and absolute. A blood-red that didn’t flicker. Didn’t pulse.

It settled... permanently.

As if his eyes had finally become what they were always meant to be.

At the same time, the system screen appeared before him—blue and familiar as always, except that it carried a new message.

[Congratulations. You have fulfilled the hidden requirement for the "Mind Controller" class. The full abilities of your class have been unlocked.]

[End Of Volume One: Rise of the Ruler.]